Today’s question is…
What’s your con prep consist of?
It’s almost that time to start prepping for DragonCon! By that, I don’t mean working on new costumes – I’m already doing that – but preparing everything ELSE for the con. Here’s what I do, generally for DragonCon since that’s the biggest – for smaller cons these ideas are tweaked or not needed, but take from this what you will for your own con going 🙂
1. Check old costumes for needed repairs/cleaning
Once I figure out what I’m taking (which is often several months worth of thought), I start pulling these costumes out for needed repairs and cleaning.
Oftentimes I forget about things that went wrong last time I wore it. If I wait til the last minute, inevitably I’m going to discover things broken and stains that now I’m not going to have time to fix. Last year I pulled Emma Frost out about a month before the con and discovered a huge beer stain on the bottom of the white cape. I had plenty of time to get it cleaned up (Grandma’s Stain Remover is magic), and also fix some issues I had with the cape attachment.
Just getting everything looked over and fixed well ahead of time will save you some frustration and stress right before you leave for the con.
2. Type up a packing list
I am all about lists. I love lists.
At some point well before the con – usually about two months or a month-and-a-half out, I will sit down and type up the most comprehensive packing list I can. I will update it as needed as I realize things I’ve forgotten or new costumes come with more pieces than I expected. Once I start packing – usually about 3-4 weeks before the con (see #9), I print it out, and keep it with my bins, so I can mark things off as they get packed.
Anytime I have that moment of panic (“I don’t remember seeing/packing that!!”) I can go back and look at my list and see that it’s marked off and in my bin ready to go.
This is really only something I do on this scale for DragonCon – smaller conventions are a bit more truncated. I still type up a packing list, but I print it out maybe a week or two before and pack then. DragonCon just encompasses so many days, so many costumes, so much new stuff, that it’s easier for me to start early.
3. Clean out and replenish Make-up Case
I only use my make-up case for cons – and usually I’m in a hurry putting on makeup so it gets to be a mess by the end of the convention.
Before I leave, I get my case out, completely empty it, clean out the inside (usually just a damp paper towel will do – sometimes I use makeup remover) and throw away any trash that got left in there. Hair accessories like bobbie pins, clips, wig caps get removed (they have their own bag, which also gets cleaned up and organized) and everything gets put back in an orderly manner.
Well before the con – 3-4 months – I’ll take mental notes of what needs replaced. For instance, I know this year, I need new foundation, new eyeshadow, new hair clips and eyelashes. Anytime I go to a store that has something I need, I buy 1 or 2 items, so I’m not having to buy EVERYTHING at once right before the convention. I learned this hard way when one year I dropped about $100 in makeup and hair accessories right before Dragoncon. That sucked.
4. Clean out and replenish Repair Kit
Generally, my repair kit is pretty stable. Doesn’t need a lot of replenishing – but I always double check in case there was that one time I couldn’t find my glue sticks and raided the repair kit. I don’t want to end up at the con with no glue sticks! So I just do a double check to make sure all my basics are still there.
I also add in anything that might be specific to a new costume – things like touch-up paint, etc.
5. De-Hair myself
LOL ok so this one is kinda silly, but it’s something I always do before Dragoncon. Usually the night before we leave, I use hair remover on my legs – something like Nair, Veet, etc. This way I DON’T have to worry about shaving my legs the entire time I’m there, and – since I always have a hard time shaving around my knees, I know it’s all taken care of!
(If you’ve never used something like a hair remover, make sure you test it on your skin first, and follow the directions closely. It does not work well for everyone.)
I also take the time to trim and paint my nails… basically I have a little spa day for myself LOL
6. Drink more water
This is another do as I say, not as I do.
I’m soooooo bad about this but I try. I’m hoping this year since I’m stuck at a desk all day I’ll be able to force myself to drink more water throughout the day, besides just being good for you it’s supposed to make your skin look nicer. Get started well before the convention, not a few weeks right before. Let’s do this thing and drink more water!
7. Put schedules in my phone
I put together a VERY basic costume schedule – which I generally don’t stick to – and the times of anything else I want to do (photo-ops, photoshoots, etc) in my phone. I also put my husband’s schedule in there.
The DragonCon app has, in the past, had its own calendar as well, and through their social options I THINK you can share it with friends. That’s handy!
In the past, we’ve taken a whiteboard with us, and written down our schedule for the day so we both (my husband and I) know what’s planned in case we’ve missed something. It’s a nice idea but it generally turns into a doodle-board and, one year, we played a game where we each picked 1 character and had a tally board of how many times we’d each seen that costume (I won with Leia). Sorry, got off track there. Anyway….
8. Print out all confirmations and put them in one place
Print out EVERYTHING you have from the hotel – confirmations, updates, etc. If you’re flying, print out all of your flying information. If you’re driving, print out maps if you need them. If you shipped stuff, print out all receipts, tracking numbers and delivery confirmations. Print out your badge confirmations if your con has something like that. Print out every single piece of information you might need between leaving your house and getting your badge.
I have a folder I keep it all in. Hotel, rentals, badge stuff, con stuff, any and every kind of paperwork related to our trip goes in there. It’s handy in case you’re in an area with no cell phone reception and your GPS isn’t working – you still have a map. If the hotel says they didn’t receive your packages, you have the delivery confirmation right there in hand.
This was a habit I started when I first started traveling and I always do it. I like to be organized and have all of my information in one place. It’s handy.
9. Start packing early
So, going back to that idea of the packing list and packing early – as I said, for a big Convention like DragonCon, where we are there for nearly a week and taking like 15 costumes, food, robots, clothes, make-up, etc – it’s WAY easier for me to start packing early.
For smaller conventions, “early” for me is a week or two. I don’t pack the night before. For Dragoncon, “early” is about 3-4 weeks before we leave. Sometimes earlier, depending on the state of everything.
I start by bringing in my largest bin and my folding garment rack. I put these in the corner of our living room, and that’s where they stay until it’s time for us to leave. I’ll go ahead and pack up my “older” costumes (the ones I’m not still working on) as they’re checked over and repaired as needed. Once they’re in the bin and marked off, it’s less I have to worry about later.
As I finish my new costumes, they get packed as well. Things get added to the garment rack just for the sole purpose of getting them OUT of my sewing room and out of my way. This is the MAIN reason I start packing so early – my sewing room is small, and with so many projects going on at once, I need stuff that is FINISHED to move somewhere else, and that place is in the bin or garment racks. Helps keep me sane. Plus, it’s less packing and checking to do at the last minute.
10. Clean the house and watch a movie
Dragoncon is a whirlwind at our house. For at least a month our house is in full Dragoncon mode with projects going on everywhere. It’s craziness. I try to clean as I go, but especially once I get into that final push, it becomes an impossible mess.
My goal is to be finished with everything AT LEAST a day or two before we leave. This is just so I’m not working til the last minute, and also so I have time to clean. I’ve often taken the day before we leave off work, ostensibly so I can finish projects – but the past few years I’ve managed to get everything done and spend that last day cleaning the house.
It’s no fun to come home after a long, exhausting convention – probably with con crud – to a destroyed living space. Trying to find the time to at least straighten up and clean will make your life a lot easier.
Also try to find the time to relax beforehand, so you’re not still frazzled and crazed at the con – take a nap, watch a movie, go out with friends, if at all possible.